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Available
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Publication
Charles Scribner's Sons (1995), 284 pages
Description
"Moral Man and Immoral Society" is Reinhold Niebuhr's important early study in ethics and politics. Forthright and realistic, it discusses the inevitability of social conflict, the brutal behavior of human collectives of every sort, the inability of rationalists and social scientists to even imagine the realities of collective power, and, ultimately, how individual morality can overcome social immorality.The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors though reflection on classic works in the field.
User reviews
LibraryThing member aitastaes
Arguably his most famous book, Moral Man and Immoral Society is Reinhold Niebuhr's important early study (1932) in ethics and politics. Widely read and continually relevant, this book marked Niebuhr's decisive break from progressive religion and politics toward a more deeply tragic view of human
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nature and history. Forthright and realistic, Moral Man and Immoral Society argues that individual morality is intrinsically incompatible with collective life, thus making social and political conflict inevitable. Niebuhr further discusses our inability to imagine the realities of collective power; the brutal behavior of human collectives of every sort; and, ultimately, how individual morality can mitigate the persistence of social immorality. Show Less
LibraryThing member deusvitae
A discussion of politics and ethics, both of the individual and the state. The author does well at showing how men can be moral persons yet how societies tend to be inherently immoral. He seeks to see equal justice as the direction toward which societies should go, ideally through non-violent
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coercive methods. nnMany good thoughts are presented in the book, and Niebuhr provides many matters upon which to think. Things did not turn out exactly like he posits, but many things that he speaks of resonate even today. Show Less
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
Very interesting and skeptical view of individual vs. group morality, and would be very useful for one attempting to enact positive change in society.
LibraryThing member lukeasrodgers
Moral Man and Immoral Society is interesting and occasionally thought-provoking, but rather too long. Its central thesis and Niebuhr's arguments in support of it could have been adequately expressed in a forty to fifty pages. Part of the reason for this is that much of what he offers as "argument"
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is simply assertion or reiteration. Show Less
LibraryThing member le.vert.galant
Niebuhr's central insight is that personal morality and group mentality are incompatible and that the latter will always trump the former. This means that social change can only be achieved through political means and by economic coercion. Ethics and education may change individual minds but they
It's a pessimistic view of the world, but he makes his case eloquently, even if some of his examples are dated (it's hard to share his outrage over the Spanish-American War) and his equation of the proletariat with the working class had more resonance the 1930s than it does now. On the other hand, his discussion of non-violence as practiced by Gandhi and its applicability to the position of African-Americans almost surely inspired the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
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will never overwhelm the inherent selfishness of the collective will. Thus, patriotism is used to justify evil ends, making the individual feel part of a select and morally exempt group. It's a pessimistic view of the world, but he makes his case eloquently, even if some of his examples are dated (it's hard to share his outrage over the Spanish-American War) and his equation of the proletariat with the working class had more resonance the 1930s than it does now. On the other hand, his discussion of non-violence as practiced by Gandhi and its applicability to the position of African-Americans almost surely inspired the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
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LibraryThing member GlennBell
I had a really hard time understanding the author. His verbiage is at times vague and difficult. This is a rare case in which I decided to stop at halfway through the book and not waste anymore of my time.
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1932
Physical description
284 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
068471857X / 9780684718576